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Mashable's Social Media Guide for Small Businesses

Over the past year, Mashable has written extensively on the value of social media to small businesses. We have also contributed regularly on this topic to the American Express Open Forum.

From the fundamentals of Twitter branding, to the importance of blogging, to getting work done with some great online tools, small businesses face many challenges when trying to understand how to use social media. However, taking the time to learn how to leverage social media and technology to benefit your business will pay big dividends in the long run.

Whether you're just signing up, or primed for some advanced social marketing, the posts below have all the tips, tricks, and wisdom you'll need to take your brand to the next level.

Social Media 101

Start here for the basics on how and why your business should be implementing a social media campaign.

Sign up, stay on message, and utilize some leading sites and apps that can give your business a social edge.

These posts have real-world advice and examples of how businesses have succeeded on social networks. From Facebook to Twitter to LinkedIn and beyond, here are the resources you'll need to get started.

Blogging

Blogging is an essential way for businesses to keep their customers informed and interested in new products. When connected to social networks, business blogs can have a powerful reach.

There are a host of great online tools and tricks you can use to get your business blog up and running for maximum buzz. These posts cover all the best practices and how to avoid the most common mistakes.

Video

Online video is booming, and it offers great opportunities for customers to discuss and share your brand. A video that "goes viral" can put your product into the feeds and inboxes of thousands of potential customers and make your brand known to a much wider base.

Paid advertising on social video sites like YouTube can also be extremely lucrative. Check out these posts for tips on how to get the most from a video marketing campaign.

Mobile

Mobile devices keep you and your employees connected to your business. The proliferation of smartphones also means that your customers will be interacting with your brand in new ways.

It's important to keep in touch with mobile business trends. Which devices and platforms will your customers be using to search for and connect with you? These posts have the lowdown on mobile web, productivity on the go, and tips for choosing the right devices for your business.

PR and Marketing

Perhaps the biggest draw of social media for small businesses is the ability to create far-reaching and relatively inexpensive marketing campaigns. But there's a lot more to it than simply tweeting updates from the water cooler, or linking to your newest blog post.

Ensure maximum return on social media investment by engaging your customers across multiple platforms. These posts will show you how.

Strategy and Management

So you've got your social media plan in place and you're starting to see some benefits for your business. Great! Now, how do you keep up and keep track? There are many tools that can help you streamline your social media efforts to ensure you're always moving in the right direction.

Here are some advanced strategies on how to manage your social media presence, hire Web-savvy employees, and stay on top of this fast-moving field.

Your Small Business Ideas

We hope you've found some strategies you can incorporate into your small business plan. What other tools and tricks do you use to maximize the reach of your social media presence? Share some ideas in the comments below.

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.